Kennedy's successor vows to be independent

Massachusetts Sen.-elect Scott Brown, hailed as a savior of the Republican Party, pledged late last week that he would not always vote the party line, but would chart his own course in Washington.

Massachusetts Sen.-elect Scott Brown, hailed as a savior of the Republican Party, pledged late last week that he would not always vote the party line, but would chart his own course in Washington.

In a wide-ranging, 30-minute interview, Brown said he told GOP Senate leaders: "With all due respect, I really don't know a lot of you people, and you don't know me. But maybe that's good, because I'm going to vote how I want to vote."

"They were cool," Brown said. "They said 'You could probably do whatever you want right about now, Scott, so that's OK.' So they were very respectful, and they understand. They understand all eyes are on me."

Brown made his declaration of independence a week after his upset of Democrat Martha Coakley sent shock waves through American politics, and as he continues to wrestle with sudden stardom. In his trademark self-effacing style, he reflected on becoming a political sensation.

"I try to just be myself," he said. "Like today, I got up, I rode the bike for an hour, watched TV, read the newspapers, you know, and then spent a little time with the dogs, got them all settled up, gave (my wife) Gail a kiss and went to the gym, did a swim, and then I came in here. I've been meeting with you guys, I'm going to caucus. The only different thing is, I'm doing (Jay) Leno."

But Thursday was hardly normal for Brown, who seemed oddly out of place at the State House, treated, in a building dominated by Democrats, with a mix of newfound respect and slack-jawed amazement.

He received three standing ovations from his colleagues in the state Senate, met for 35 minutes with Gov. Deval Patrick, and conducted a round of interviews in his fourth-floor office.

In the interview, Brown said he felt the weight of his victory.

"It's a lot of pressure, to be everything to everybody, and all I've been telling people is, you know, I'm a regular guy," he said. "I'm hopeful that they don't put such high expectations that I let them down."

He said he has started building a staff and has hired a few aides to the late Edward M. Kennedy, including Kennedy's Boston-based immigration liaison, Emily Winterson, who helps people with immigration cases.

"It's huge now, especially with Haiti," Brown said.

"Kennedy had some of the best people in the country," he added. "We're going to have a constituent office second to none."

Brown declined to predict what his first piece of legislation would be, but said he plans to focus on four areas once in office -- military members, veterans, education and disability issues -- and will aim for a career like that of Sen. John McCain, his political role model and the only leader in Washington who agreed to meet with him several months ago.

"When I think of maverick, I think of Top Gun, and then I think of him," Brown said. "And how he's just been, sacrificed so much for our country. Who better as a role model for me?"

Brown, with an image akin to that of Jimmy Stewart in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, has single-handedly disrupted the Democrats' domestic agenda and captured the national political spotlight. He is scheduled to appear today on ABC's This Week with Barbara Walters.

"You have to have a sense of humor," Brown said. "One of the things I think is wrong with Washington is they don't kind of lighten up a little bit and have a laugh."

That was one of the things he said he liked about President Barack Obama's State of the Union address Wednesday night. "You could tell he was genuinely having fun," he said.

Brown said he likes Obama's approach on alternative energy sources -- nuclear power, solar, hydroelectric -- although he opposes the president's cap-and-trade proposal to limit carbon emissions. He also approved of Obama's call to put all congressional earmarks online.

"We're going to find common ground on things," he said.

Asked if health care would be one of those areas, he said, "I have to see what's there."

"If it's going to be the raising of taxes and cutting of Medicare and all that stuff, the backroom deals, then no," Brown said. "But the fact that he's going to now -- because of my election Republicans are going to have to come to the table and he challenged them to come up with some good ideas -- I think that's good."

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